


Say it with Ice Cream

by Jo (jmathieson)



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (2012), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, One Shot, Prompt Fill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-12
Updated: 2013-06-12
Packaged: 2017-12-14 19:48:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/840688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jmathieson/pseuds/Jo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt from <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/users/AdamantSteve/profile">AdamantSteve</a>: Phil’s always super busy and has no time for Clint and Clint gets sad but then Phil clears his schedule and does something super nice for/with Clint.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Say it with Ice Cream

"Hey Phil, I figured you were working through lunch again so I brought you a sandwich and a piece of pie. It's strawberry-rhubarb."

Phil Coulson looked up from his computer with a grateful but tired smile.

"Thanks, love. I really appreciate it."

"So, um, you gonna be home for dinner tonight?"

"Sorry Clint," Phil said, gesturing at the stacks of paperwork on his desk.

"Yeah. OK. No biggie." Clint worked really hard at keeping the disappointment out of his voice, and figured he had probably managed it because Phil's attention was already drifting back to the computer screen.

"Oh, that reminds me..." Phil took a folder off a stack and tossed it towards Clint who grabbed it easily.

"Little op for you, day after tomorrow. Just some routine surveillance under light cover. Dress casually, follow the guy around the city for the afternoon. The usual thing."

"Not my usual thing." Clint said, trying for slightly annoyed, rather than disappointed and resigned, which was what he actually felt. The day after tomorrow was his birthday, and they never made a big thing of it, but it seemed like this year Phil was so busy he'd forgotten entirely. 

"Sorry, we're a little short on manpower right now, so everyone's pitching in."

Clint felt like a heel for being reminded how short-staffed they were, which was why Phil had been working so many long hours lately. Clint tried not to be offended at the very mild suggestion that he might not be willing to help out when he was needed. Sure he complained sometimes, but he always pulled his weight on the team.

"Sure, no problem. Just for the afternoon?" Clint was thinking that maybe he could casually suggest they get dinner after, nothing fancy, just an evening out for the two of them. It had been quite a while since they'd been able to do that.

"Yes, I'll be taking over from you for the evening shift."

Oh. 

"OK, well, see you when you get home I guess."

"I might be late. Don't wait up."

Two days later Clint strolled along 5th avenue in a pair of black jeans and a white cotton button-down shirt. The briefing for the mission had been very clear that he would need to follow the mark no matter where he went, so Clint should dress well enough not to get noticed in a nice restaurant, or store, but not so well he's stick out at a ball game. Clint figured that new jeans and a shirt with buttons fit that bill.

He took up position at the corner of 5th Avenue and East 43rd Street, and waited to spot the mark who, according to the intelligence they already had, should be coming out of the bank on the corner.

Instead, he saw Coulson walking towards him with two ice cream cones in his hand.

"Phil? What are you doing here? I thought you had the evening shift - did I miss a memo or something?"

"Nope," said Phil, handing him an ice cream cone, and taking a lick of the one he was still holding to stop it dripping. "You should eat that before it melts."

"Phil, what's going on?"

"Did you know that one of the perks of being a respected senior handler means I can get anything I damn well please printed up on SHIELD letterhead, and no one asks any questions?"

"You... you made up an op? Why?"

Phil reached into his jacket pocket with his free hand and handed Clint an envelope. The flap wasn't sealed, so Clint was able to slide the two tickets out enough to read what was printed on them without dropping his ice cream. 

"We have dinner reservations at Luigi's before the show, and until then, I thought we could stroll around the park or, well, do whatever you'd like really. After all, it's your birthday." 

As the realization seeped through that Phil had planned this entire thing to surprise him, Clint found himself grinning stupidly.

"Phil, I'm gonna kiss you in the middle of a New York City street. I hope that's OK."

Phil's tongue was cold and tasted of rum butter ice cream, and Clint wished he had both hands free so that he could have one in his husband's hair and the other on his ass. As it was, he made do with cupping the back of Phil's head and kissing him so deeply that he could hear a bystander giggling slightly at the show they were putting on.

"If that's the way you say thank you, then maybe I had better wait until we're somewhere a little more private before I tell you the rest," said Phil when they finally broke for air.

"There's more?"

"Welll....." Phil had a very mischievous grin on his face.

"Come on, Phil. Spill!"

"Another one of the perks of being a respected senior handler is that I get to approve requests for vacation days."

"You mean?"

"Yup. We've both got the day off tomorrow. That's why I've been so busy the last few days, I needed to get everything set up so that I could take the time off."

"You didn't have to go to all this trouble, Phil. I would have been happy just going out to dinner with you tonight."

"You're worth it, Clint. I love you."

"I love you too. Your ice cream is dripping."

__

Fin

**Author's Note:**

> Fine me on tumblr at [Queen of Wands](http://jmathieson-fic.tumblr.com/)


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